


shamrock your heart

by buddiebuddie



Series: white house AU [11]
Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: Anxious Evan "Buck" Buckley, Comforting Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV), Eddie Diaz Takes Care of Evan "Buck" Buckley, Established Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz, M/M, Road Head, Shameless Smut, Soft Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV), White House AU, also buck's backwards hat, and when i say shameless i mean shameless, forgive me father for i have simped, i cannot fucking believe i just tagged that, once again you know the one, princessfbi made me do it, references to eddie's black tank top, this is 5k of mcdonald's adjacent sex i don't even know what else to say, you know the one
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-28
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-03-19 07:15:05
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,869
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29746914
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/buddiebuddie/pseuds/buddiebuddie
Summary: in which a good man is hard to find, a hard man is good to find, and buck manages to land himself bothORbuck's having a bad day. eddie knows just what he needs.
Relationships: Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV)
Series: white house AU [11]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1677313
Comments: 39
Kudos: 222





	shamrock your heart

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Princessfbi](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Princessfbi/gifts).



> [Princessfbi](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Princessfbi/pseuds/Princessfbi) made me do it. 
> 
> this is part of the white house au but could stand alone! set 3 years into buck's presidency

Four minutes into his day, Buck can tell it’s going to be a bad one. 

When he opens his eyes, there are no warm arms around his middle, no sleepy kisses against his cheek and the nape of his neck, no beautiful brown eyes rolling fondly as he begs for  _ just five more minutes, Eds _ . The pillows beside him are still laid perfectly, the sheets cold. It’s a reminder of the fact that it’s been close to a week since Eddie’s been able to stay over. 

Which wouldn’t be so bad if not for record-breaking flooding in Houston and the upcoming state dinner looming over his head, both of which have done nothing but raise Buck’s blood pressure and magnify the Eddie-shaped hole.

In the last three years, Buck’s come to realize that the aftermath of natural disasters is one of the hardest parts of being President. He’s never felt more helpless. The resources and funding he so desperately wants to provide always seem to be tied up in Congress, which does nothing but delay relief efforts. And while Americans are suffering, he’s warm and safe in his 50,000 square foot mansion. 

Despite boarding Air Force One for Houston right away and spending 36 hours down there talking to the people, visiting shelters, and helping out in any way he could, Buck still felt defeated. It had been a week ago, and while the water levels had since gone down, people and animals were dead and homes, schools, and businesses were destroyed. He barely slept since it happened, between the stress, the trip, and the aftermath upon his return to DC. 

The aftermath which, granted, would have been a little smoother had his Twitter fingers not gotten the best of him. But in his defense, the Texan governor refusing to leave the safety and comfort of Austin while Houston was literally underwater does deem him “as useful as the  _ g _ in lasagna.” And if the press thinks that’s front page news and 896,000 people agree enough to hit the retweet button, well that’s just his cross to bear. 

And to add insult to injury, it all happened during what should have been a long weekend spent with Eddie and Christopher. The three of them had been counting down to the three-day weekend for a month. Eddie took off and Buck cleared his schedule with intentions of spending as much of the weekend as possible hiding out at Eddie’s apartment with his boys.

He never even made it out of the White House garage, having just gotten in the car to sneak over to Eddie’s when the flooding started. The rest of the weekend was spent in Texas, no choice but to leave Chris and Eddie behind in DC. 

And now, the bed’s still empty beside him as Shannon’s out of town and Eddie’s had Chris all week. Buck’s been working far too late to get over to Eddie’s, and he just… he misses him. Sure, he’s at work each day, but it’s not the same. Hushed conversations in the Oval, pinky brushes in the hallway, and stolen kisses in the back of the motorcade are all great, but they aren’t cutting it. 

So, yeah. Buck is already on edge. And when he sits up in his too-big bed and reaches across the too-cold sheets to grab his phone off the charger on the nightstand, he discovers it’s dead. After craning his neck and realizing the plug slipped out of the wall, he chucks his phone across the room, where it smacks against the wall before dropping to the ground.

It doesn't make him feel any better. 

He has a televised interview later in the day, which would have been fine had his lucky flag pin not cracked in half just before the cameras started rolling. Which probably had nothing to do with the way he spilled coffee on his favorite tie or pinched his finger in his desk drawer, but it didn’t make it sting any less. 

And on top of it all, the god forsaken state dinner is tomorrow. Three years in and the state dinners haven’t gotten any easier. Not only are they as boring as watching paint dry, but they serve as a perpetual reminder that Buck’s alone. He longs for the day he can show up to one of these with Eddie on his arm, when he, too, will have someone to hold his hand beneath the table, to stand beside him as he’s introduced, someone to commiserate with when the speeches get too long. When he won’t be a lonely heart in a sea of happy couples. 

By the time he reaches a stopping point with the work stacked up on his desk and gets back to the residence, it’s almost midnight. He’s bone tired, somehow exhausted and wired at the same time. He turns the shower on as hot as it’ll go, standing beneath the spray and staring ahead, lost in his thoughts until the water runs cold. He tugs on one of Eddie’s sweatshirts, a sliver of comfort in an otherwise dreadful day. He’s on the couch flipping through the channels when there’s a knock at the door. 

He contemplates ignoring it. If it’s Maddie or Eddie, they can key in. And if it’s anyone else, he doesn’t want to see them. Just as he gets up and trudges to the entryway, the door swings open.

“Hi.” Eddie says, standing in front of the open door, key card in hand from where he must’ve just swiped it. He doesn’t hesitate before striding past Buck and into the residence, pushing the door closed behind himself. “Put your shoes on.” 

Buck’s response comes by way of a defeated sigh. “Eddie, no.”

“Yes.”

“Where’s Chris?”

“At Abuela’s.”

“But you–”

“Have something important to take care of tonight,” Eddie cuts him off. “And you know they both jumped at the chance for a sleepover. Now put your shoes on.” 

Buck doesn’t say anything at first, just waits a beat before sighing. “I’m not in the mood,” he grumbles. “I just want to be alone.” 

Even as he says it, he knows it’s a lie– a big and bold one at that– and Eddie does too. He raises an eyebrow, his arms crossed over his chest as he leans against the door frame. 

And while Buck might lack boundaries, mental math skills and self preservation instincts, he’s got an abundance of self awareness. Enough to recognize how absurd it was to think for even a second that Eddie wouldn’t see straight through him. It’s laughable, really. 

“No you don’t,” Eddie says. It’s quiet, simple, a gentle nudge at the walls Buck puts up around himself when he starts to withdraw, folding in on himself. 

“Fine,” Buck admits around a sigh. “I don’t know what I want.” 

“I do,” Eddie points out. Buck pretends it doesn’t make his heart thump against his ribcage just a little bit harder. “So put your shoes on.” 

Buck’s resigned eye roll is nothing other than an attempt to hide the flush creeping up his neck at Eddie’s words land.  _ I do.  _ That’s the thing about Eddie, Buck thinks. He does know. He knows exactly what Buck wants, exactly what he  _ needs _ , often before Buck even knows himself. Eddie’s tuned into Buck in a way no one else in his life– not even Maddie– is. His ability to pick up on the things left unsaid remains astounding, even after all this time. 

Even on days like today, when Eddie was barely with him, and the realization is enough to knock Buck over, to ignite his heart in a blaze of fondness. And if he thinks about it too much, he might do something stupid, like cry. So instead, he turns on his heel and heads down the hallway to his bedroom. 

And as he hears the comforting sound of Eddie’s footsteps behind him, soft and sure and unhurried against the carpet, his skin feels a little warmer and his heart hangs a little lower in his chest. 

  
The corners of Eddie’s mouth tick upwards into a satisfied grin as Buck steps out of his closet in a baseball cap and his favorite white sneakers. “Ready?” 

Buck nods, crossing the room and stopping in front of where Eddie’s blocking the door. “If you insist.” 

“Hey,” Eddie says, his voice low as he takes Buck’s face in his hands. His thumbs brush against Buck’s temples as he tips his head up until their eyes meet, the touch instantly grounding. “If you really don’t want to, we won’t. It’s okay. You can tap out.” 

Buck smiles softly, warmth radiating across his skin. Because that’s the thing about Eddie. Eddie always puts Buck first. Always. Even when he has own desires, when the hint of an excited smile plays on his face, a nonverbal cue that he’s really pleased with whatever he’s got up his sleeve. Even then, he’s still putting Buck first, prioritizing his comfort and making sure he remembers he can tap out at any point. 

It was something Eddie said to him on the campaign trail. 

_ Buck had been begging Eddie to take him to the gym since he first saw the MMA gym tag on Eddie’s keys one night. Eddie had been hesitant at first, but after Bobby pointed out that it might be a nice way for Buck to develop some fragment of self-preservation, Eddie got the manager to shut it down for them one night.  _

_ Eddie had started with the basics, showing him how to stand and move and exhale with each punch. Buck was eager to learn, hanging onto Eddie’s every word with a degree of concentration in his eyes as they moved onto defensive moves. While Eddie taught him how to duck, slip, and block, he tried not to focus on the way Buck’s t-shirt was clinging to his sweat-damp skin. Which proved to be just as futile as Buck’s attempt to convince himself that the stirring in his gut definitely didn't have anything to do with Eddie’s black tank top.  _

_ “The most important thing,” Eddie had said, crouching down and motioning for Buck to lay on the mat. “Is tapping out.” _

_ “I thought that was protecting your head,” Buck quipped, raising an eyebrow as he sat down. Eddie had told him as much no fewer than nineteen times in the hour that they’d been in the ring. _

_ Eddie rolled his eyes as he shoved Buck’s shoulder, nudging him down onto his back. “They’re equally as important. Okay?” _

_ “Whatever you say, Special Agent Diaz,” Buck smirked, eyes bright as he looked up at Eddie through his lashes. “You’re the expert here.” _

_ “Tapping out is more for cage fighting, where it’s full contact. You don’t usually need to do it in sparring or boxing. But I’d be the world’s worst teacher if I didn’t show you the best tool at a fighter’s disposal.” _

_ “You couldn’t be a bad teacher if you tried,” Buck said. Eddie's lips quirked to the side, half a smile on his face as he leaned forward. Buck’s breath caught in his throat as Eddie hovered over him, his knees on either side of his waist as he closed the distance between them. Their noses grazed and Buck’s eyes closed, his pulse pounding in his ears as he waited for the brush of Eddie’s lips against his. And then, at the last second, Eddie changed course, moving his head to the side.  _

_ “Tease,” Buck murmured.  _

_ “You like it,” Eddie shot back.  _

_ Buck wasn’t about to argue that.  _

_ “So if I had you in a hold and it got to be too much, you’d tap out. Three taps on the mat. With your hand if you can, foot if you can’t,” Eddie said, extending his arm and punctuating his words with three gentle taps against the mat. “Try it.”  _

_ Buck did as he was told. Eddie could tell him to stand in traffic and Buck would call an uber to the middle of the freeway. _

_ “Good,” Eddie hummed, the praise shooting through Buck like a bolt of lightning, stirring something deep inside him and setting his skin on fire. “Just like that.”  _

_ Buck pretended his heart wasn’t racing as Eddie hovered over him, eyes locked, breath mingling in the space between their lips.  _

_ “Yeah?” Buck breathed, grinning.  _

_ “Yeah.” Eddie almost didn’t recognize his own voice, thick with lust. He was about halfway through weighing the risks against the benefits of screwing Buck into the mat when the decision was made for him.  _

_ Buck’s hands came up to Eddie’s face, fingers bracketing his ears as he tugged Eddie down, their lips meeting in a searing kiss. It was equal parts thrilling and electrifying, Eddie’s skin coming to life beneath Buck’s touch, blood burning in his lips as he watched Buck’s back arch against the mat. _

_ He grinned against Buck’s lips, flipping them over in a tangle of limbs and a flurry of bitten-back sounds that had Buck’s toes curling as Eddie’s back hit the mat. Buck was straddling Eddie’s hips as he tugged at the hem of that godforsaken tank top, Eddie’s skin smooth and radiating heat beneath his fingertips, the sear of it just as intoxicating as the press of Eddie’s lips against his neck. _

_ His breath caught in his throat, only to be punched out of him a second later as Eddie rolled his hips, his fingers digging into Buck’s waist as they rocked against one another. In a fleeting moment, Buck hoped they’d leave bruises, remnants of Eddie staking his claim. All Buck wanted– all he ever wanted– was to be Eddie’s. He longed for the marks, each dull throb a reminder of the way his skin sparked to life as Eddie took him apart. After all, Buck always did love a good souvenir.  _

_ Shadows danced across Eddie’s skin as he tugged Buck up, grinning against his lips as he backed him across the mat. And then stars were exploding behind Buck’s eyelids as his shoulders hit the cage, his head dropping back against the chain link as Eddie’s lips found his neck, his fingers Buck’s hips.  _

_ Buck was floating. As Eddie spun him around and pressed his cheek into the metal, he couldn’t remember where his skin ended and Eddie’s began. All he knew was his entire body was on fire in the very best way, his fingers threaded through the links of the cage, white-knuckled grip on the wire as Eddie worked him open.  _

_ “Eddie,” he managed to get out between hurried gasps. His entire body trembled beneath Eddie's touch, desperate for more. “Please.” _

_ “Shh,” Eddie hummed, his kiss chasing away the tickle of his warm breath across Buck’s cheek. “I got you. You gonna be good for me?” _

_ “Always,” Buck breathed. _ _ And then the echo of his bitten-off gasp bounced off the walls of the empty gym. Stars exploded behind his eyelids as Eddie took him apart.  _

_ And amidst the sounds of punched-out moans, skin against skin, and the rattle of the cage beneath his grip, all that registered was Eddie’s murmured, “Good boy.”  _

_ “You know why we tap out?” Eddie asked later, once they both had their breath back and their bones had solidified. He sat back against the cage, offering Buck a hand. _

_ Buck took it, and as Eddie pulled him up into a sitting position, he shrugged. “Cause you can’t take it anymore?” _

_ “Nah,” Eddie said. “Humans can take way more than we think we can. We never give ourselves enough credit.” _

_ “Okay,” Buck said, drawing out the word as he waited for Eddie to explain himself further. “Then why?” _

_ “Because even though we  _ can _ take a little bit more, that little bit more could be what breaks us. You tap out before you get to that point of no return.”  _

_ “You’re protecting yourself,” Buck had said.  _

_ “Exactly,” Eddie nodded. “You should never be ashamed to do it. Tapping out isn’t a sign of weakness. The way I see it, it’s a sign of strength. It shows that you’re not giving up, not taking the easy way out. It’s proof that you want to fight again.”  _

It was something he’d come back to often in the years since. Sometimes he needed a reminder to put himself first, to take a break and walk away before he wound up overworked, broken down, or in a bad headspace. When things got to be just a little too much, he heard Eddie’s voice in his ears.  _ It’s a sign of strength. Proof that you want to fight again.  _

And now, Eddie’s reminder has Buck feeling warm all over. He drops a kiss to Eddie’s lips, hoping it manages to say all the things his words can’t get out. And it does, if Eddie’s contented sigh is any indication. 

“Let’s go,” Buck says, motioning for Eddie to go first. “Lead the way, Special Agent Diaz.”

_ _____ _

“Where are we going?” Buck asks as they get into an unmarked sedan, their identities concealed behind the tinted windows as Eddie pulls out of the garage. 

“You’ll see,” Eddie says. 

“Are you kidnapping me?” Buck asks, raising one eyebrow suspiciously. “You know, 99% of kidnapping victims know their abductor.”

“I’m not kidnapping you.” 

“Are you fake kidnapping me so we can extort the government for ransom money? Some woman in Florida did that in 2009. Not very original of you, Eddie.”

“I’m not fake kidnapping you either,” Eddie says. “Were you watching Dateline without me?” 

“Possibly,” Buck admits. “But in my defense, you haven’t been around and they were piling up on the DVR.”

Eddie’s heart tugs a little bit at the acknowledgement that he hasn’t been at the residence this week. “I know,” he says earnestly. “And I’m sorry.”

“It’s just Dateline,” Buck points out, the serious tone to Eddie’s voice catching him a little off guard.

Eddie shrugs. “I missed other things, too. And it’s not  _ just  _ Dateline. It’s watching Dateline with you.” His right hand comes to rest on Buck’s knee, squeezing it reassuringly as their eyes meet over the center console. “Tell me about your day.”

He knows it was a terrible one, could tell from the moment he first laid eyes on him that morning that Buck was barely holding it together. As the day progressed, things only seemed to get worse. What little light was left in Buck’s eyes had burned out the rest of the way by the time Eddie left to pick up Chris, and when he checked in with Hen later, she reported that Buck was “giving Eeyore a run for his money.”

It twisted Eddie’s stomach up in knots, knowing Buck was going through it. Buck’s schedule was so packed this week that Eddie barely got to talk to him, which didn’t help things at all. Eddie’s being there was one thing– and it managed to take the edge off the ache in both of their chests– but they hadn’t had more than a few minutes of quality time all week, and they were both longing for it. 

“It was fine,” Buck says. 

Eddie looks over at him, shadows dancing across his face from the streetlights as he raises an eyebrow. He doesn’t say anything, just rubs his thumb in reassuring circles on Buck’s knee. 

“It was… not great,” Buck amends. 

“I’m sorry,” Eddie says. “You want to talk about it?”

Buck shrugs. “I just,” he lets his head fall back against the headrest. “I’m running on fumes.” 

He tells Eddie about everything, from how he shook with anxiety the entire flight back from Houston to the way he had to change his favorite tie earlier after he nearly drowned it in coffee and everything in between. 

The catharsis that comes with unloading to Eddie brings with it a lump in Buck’s throat and a few hot tears, burning against his eyes as he tries to blink them back. Eddie listens to him intently, the reassuring brush of his thumb against Buck’s knee grounding him more than his own thoughts ever could. And as a stray tear rolls down Buck’s cheek, Eddie pulls the car over. He turns to face Buck properly and thumbs it away before dropping a kiss to his cheek, the brush of his lips chasing away the evidence of the tear. 

Buck’s eyes close contentedly, his breath coming as a deep, shaky sigh as he relaxes into the touch, into the feel of Eddie’s lips on his cheek, his forehead, the tip of his nose. “I needed this,” he admits, his voice barely above a whisper. “I don’t even know what we’re doing yet, but I know I needed this,” he says. Eddie smiles, their fingers threading together as Buck asks, “What  _ are _ we doing?”

Eddie brings their joined hands to his lips, pressing a kiss to Buck’s knuckles. “We’re tapping out.” 

He drops Buck’s hand so he can shift the car into reverse and back out of the parking spot. It’s then that Buck notices where Eddie’s taken him. He gasps, his face coloring with some combination of surprise and elation. “You brought me to McDonald’s?” he breathes. 

“I did,” Eddie says with a laugh, pulling up to the drive through speaker. “You want your usual?”

Buck nods, his heart flipping around in his chest at the realization that Eddie has his order committed to memory. He looks at the menu board as Eddie orders, nudging him as he realizes what time of year it is. “And a–”

“Medium shamrock shake with an extra cherry,” Eddie says into the speaker, finishing Buck’s sentence for him.

Buck could explode. His heart has swelled so much and so rapidly that he genuinely thinks he could explode. He stares at Eddie as he pulls forward to the window and passes the cashier his debit card, reverence and adoration thick in his eyes. It’s all he can do to keep himself from combusting, leaving the inside of the undercover car splattered with the remains of his overflowing heart. 

Eddie steals a few fries off the top of the bag before passing it to Buck and pulling back onto the road. “I love you,” Buck says, pulling their food out of the bag as Eddie grins. 

“I love you, too.”

“Oh, I was talking to my burger,” Buck deadpans as Eddie pulls up to a red light. “But you’re okay, too, I guess.” 

This earns him a playful shove from Eddie, who rolls his eyes and swipes a fry from Buck’s lap. 

“No fair, you have your own!” he protests. 

“Asshole tax,” Eddie explains, dodging Buck’s hands to steal another one. “Be nice or pay up.”

They drive around for a while, talking and eating and just being together, existing in the same space, breathing the same air. It’s everything Buck didn’t know he needed, stealing salty kisses at red lights and rolling his eyes at Eddie’s reminders not to get grease stains on the seats.

“Why do you get extra cherries if you aren’t going to eat them?” Eddie asks a couple of minutes later, nodding at the untouched cherries in Buck’s cup. 

Buck shrugs, picking one up and extending it to Eddie. He takes it gladly, popping it in his mouth and pulling off the stem as Buck says, “Because you love cherries.” 

Eddie’s heart turns over in his chest. He hates milkshakes– which Buck loves to tease him for– but he does love the cherries that come on top, syrupy and sweet. As he thinks about it now, he realizes that Buck always passes off his cherries. A warm feeling settles over Eddie as he looks over at Buck, grinning. 

“You’re ridiculous,” he says fondly, shaking his head. 

“And yet,” Buck hums, his hand on Eddie’s thigh inching up, teasing. “You love me anyway.” 

“I do,” Eddie nods. It’s the understatement of the century. “So much.”

Buck just grins, passing him the second cherry. A moment later, Eddie hands him the stem, a knot in the middle. It sends sparks through Buck’s body, heat igniting beneath his skin as his mouth dries up.

Eddie swerves just slightly as Buck’s hand hitches the rest of the way up his leg, cupping him through his pants. “Oh my  _ god, _ ” Eddie nearly chokes on the words, all the blood in his body rushing south. His head slams back against the headrest, his breath catching in his throat as Buck thumbs open the button of his jeans. “Warn a guy next time.” 

Buck’s smirk is short lived as he leans across the cupholders and tugs Eddie’s zipper down. Eddie’s breath hitches in his throat, his heart thrumming in his ears as Buck looks up at him through his lashes. “Buck,” he breathes, the car rolling to a stop at a red light. “You don’t–”

“I want to,” Buck cuts him off, his voice husky and his eyes dark. “Please.”

Eddie has a moment of… well, it’s hardly clarity. The voice in the back of his mind warning off what’s to come is fleeting, muddled by waves of ecstasy as heat pools in his stomach, his skin buzzing beneath Buck’s touch. And then Buck holds Eddie’s gaze as he licks his lips and turns his hat backwards. 

Eddie’s a goner. He can’t believe he ever thought he stood a chance. 

The light turns green, and the sound Eddie makes as Buck takes him into his mouth is nothing shy of obscene, punched out of him as his eyes roll back. “Jesus Christ,” he hisses, his knuckles going white beneath his iron grip on the steering wheel. 

Eddie... Well, Eddie’s floating. Forcing himself to keep his eyes open and trained on the road, his hands on the wheel instead of in Buck’s hair, it adds a level of discipline that’s hotter than anything he ever could’ve imagined. Between that and the sparks flying through his body as Buck hums around him, it’s a small miracle that he’s managed to keep the car on the road at all. 

“Buck,” he all but whines. It’s a wonder he’s able to get the word out all, between the gasps and moans Buck’s coaxing from him as the car cruises down Georgia Avenue. “So good. So good for me.”

Buck colors at the praise, flush creeping up his neck as he looks up at Eddie through his lashes, his lips shining, cheeks hollow. And then Buck’s tongue swirls around the head of his cock, his fingers dig into Eddie’s thigh, sparks flying beneath the firm pressure against his denim-clad skin. Eddie yanks the wheel to the right, pulling into the shoulder and slamming the gear shift into park just as his vision whites out. There’s half a moan caught on his lips as he comes, his heart slamming against his ribcage, his skin buzzing.

His hands are numb as they come off the wheel, cupping Buck’s head and tugging him up, up, up. Their lips meet in a kiss that’s equal parts urgent and fond as stars explode behind Eddie’s eyes. Buck grins, pleased with himself as Eddie runs his thumb across his bottom lip. 

He kisses Buck again, lips curling into a smile. “Buckle up,” he says. 

“Where are we going?” Buck asks, clicking his seatbelt into place before leaning over again and stealing another kiss. 

“Home,” Eddie says, his skin tingling with anticipation as he watches the lust pool in Buck’s eyes, the undertones of his response registering. “I have big plans.” 

____

“Why am I not surprised?”

Buck looks up to see Eddie leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed over his chest as he watches Buck fumble with his bowtie. The fond look in his eyes only magnifies as Buck pouts, dropping his hands to his sides. “Help,” he all but whines. 

He hates wearing a tux, which can be added to the list of reasons why he loathes the state dinners. Try as he might– and he has– after all this time, he still can’t get a clean knot in his bowtie. 

Eddie grins, striding forward and picking up the two ends of the tie where they hang over Buck’s collarbone. “Look up,” he says quietly. Buck obeys, tipping his chin up and pretending that Eddie’s command, gentle as it may be, doesn’t stir up his insides a little. 

Eddie makes quick work of the fabric, tying it into a perfect knot in a matter of seconds. He runs his fingers across the tails, smoothing them out with a satisfied smile. He straightens the new American flag pin on Buck’s lapel before bringing a hand up to his cheek. Buck drops his chin to meet Eddie’s eyes, leaning into his touch. 

“All done,” Eddie says. “And you,” he says, pressing a kiss to Buck’s lips. “Look,” another kiss. “Incredible.” And another.

“What’s this?” Buck asks, fingers closing around whatever Eddie just pressed into his palm. He looks down and sees a bright red cherry stem, knotted in the middle. His smile touches his eyes as he looks between the stem and Eddie. “You kept this?”

Eddie shrugs. “I heard you needed a new good luck charm.” He folds Buck’s fingers around it, kissing his cheek. “Go get em.” 

**Author's Note:**

> come simp with me on [tumblr](https://buddie-buddie.tumblr.com) 😌


End file.
